Situation Assessment Empirical Analysis in IStrategizer

In this article we’ll introduce the idea of situation assessment in IStrategizer.

Situation Assessment is a process of gathering high-level information using low-level data to help in better decision making.

We’ll use 3 terms here:

Situation: is a high-level representation of the state of the world

Situations can be predicted based on raw features that can be directly computed from the game state, i.e. shallow features.

However, shallow features by themselves are not strong enough for selection of a strategy in a game. Additional derived deep features for a situation are needed.

For example, shallow features, like the ratio of a player’s resources to that of the opponent, by themselves are less suggestive of usefulness of an appropriate strategy. However deeper features, like knowing the existence of path or a barrier between the player and its opponent, can help in choosing a rush or a tunneling strategy.

We’ve 3 Situations:

Note that for each set of shallow features above we’ve a set of deep features that will help us to pick the most suitable set of plans to choose from.

Base Development Situation:

Shallow Features:

Basic player infrastructure is not available.

Advanced player infrastructure is not available.

Near resources for player base are not available.

Player has a lot of resources that are not consumed well in building the army.

Deep Features:

Basic player infrastructure is not available.

What’s the missing building exactly? Is it farm? Town Hall? Lumber Mill…

Advanced player infrastructure is not available.

What’s the advanced building you would to upgrade to? Get new units (i.e. dragons)? Upgrade unit attributes?

Near resources for player base are not available.

What’s the resource that is not available?

Where’s the proposed place to gather from?

Player has a lot of resources that are not consumed well in building the army.

What are units that you’d like to build their building more?

What’s the proposed direction for expanding your empire?

Build Army Situation:

Shallow Features:

Player has enough resources and infrastructure to construct an army.

Opponent is attacking/constructing the player and the player has no enough units to defend on himself.

Deep Features:

Player has enough resources and infrastructure to construct an army.

What’s the most available resource to construct an army?

From history, what are preferred units by my opponent?

What’s natural situation of the map (islands, no paths in between).

How opponent defend his base?

Opponent is attacking the player or constructing, army where the player has no enough units to defend on himself.

What are the most available resources and buildings to construct an army?

What are anti-units for the current opponent units?

Attack Situation:

Shallow Features:

Player has enough units to attack opponent.

Player resources are obsolete and he wants to get an opponent resources.

Player wants to expand his empire and enemy captures a near place.

Enemy is near from player base.

Deep Features:

Player has enough units to attack opponent.

What’s the natural of enemy’s base and current player units to utilize them for attacking? (i.e. backdoor exists, enemy doesn’t have long range units …).

Player resources are obsolete and he wants to get an opponent resources.

What’s the natural of enemy’s base and current player units to utilize them for attacking? (i.e. backdoor exists, enemy doesn’t have long range units …).

Player wants to expand his empire and enemy captures a near place.

What’s the natural of enemy’s base and current player units to utilize them for attacking? (i.e. backdoor exists, enemy doesn’t have long range units …).

Enemy is near from player base.

What’s the natural of enemy’s base and current player units to utilize them for attacking? (i.e. backdoor exists, enemy doesn’t have long range units …).

Here let us talk more about the deep feature used in this assessment.

Natural of player’s army:

Ranged.

Anti air-attack.

Air attack.

Strong units.

Massive number of units.

Natural of enemy’s base:

Not defended at all.

Has backdoors.

Has an air attack defense.

Has an anti air attack defense.

Has lot of units inside.

Has weak points (i.e. important buildings that are not defended well)

So, based on combination of these 2 natures we can pick a suitable attack strategy. Example:

Natural of player’s army: Air attack.

Natural of enemy’s base: has backdoors, has weak points

Air Attack Strategy is used!

Defense Situation:

Shallow Features:

Player base is not defended.

Enemy is attacking player or constructing an army.

Deep Features:

What’s the natural of the map duo to defending player’s base? (i.e. surrounded with wood)